recommends annual lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography for current and former heavy smokers aged 55 to 80 years. There is little published experience regarding implementing this recommendation in clinical practice. OBJECTIVES To describe organizational-and patient-level experiences with implementing an LCS program in selected Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals and to estimate the number of VHA patients who may be candidates for LCS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This clinical demonstration project was conducted at 8 academic VHA hospitals among 93 033 primary care patients who were assessed on screening criteria; 2106 patients underwent LCS between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015. INTERVENTIONS Implementation Guide and support, full-time LCS coordinators, electronic tools, tracking database, patient education materials, and radiologic and nodule follow-up guidelines. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Description of implementation processes; percentages of patients who agreed to undergo LCS, had positive findings on results of low-dose computed tomographic scans (nodules to be tracked or suspicious findings), were found to have lung cancer, or had incidental findings; and estimated number of VHA patients who met the criteria for LCS. RESULTS Of the 4246 patients who met the criteria for LCS, 2452 (57.7%) agreed to undergo screening and 2106 (2028 men and 78 women; mean [SD] age, 64.9 [5.1] years) underwent LCS. Wide variation in processes and patient experiences occurred among the 8 sites. Of the 2106 patients screened, 1257 (59.7%) had nodules; 1184 of these patients (56.2%) required tracking, 42 (2.0%) required further evaluation but the findings were not cancer, and 31 (1.5%) had lung cancer. A variety of incidental findings, such as emphysema, other pulmonary abnormalities, and coronary artery calcification, were noted on the scans of 857 patients (40.7%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE It is estimated that nearly 900 000 of a population of 6.7 million VHA patients met the criteria for LCS. Implementation of LCS in the VHA will likely lead to large numbers of patients eligible for LCS and will require substantial clinical effort for both patients and staff.

Staff from multiple disciplines typically provide MOVE!-related care although not all disciplines are involved with providing care at every facility. Group-based treatment has become increasingly utilized, and in FY 2010 it represented 72% of all MOVE!-related visits. Intensity of treatment has increased from an average of 3.6 visits per patient per year in FY 2007 to 4.6 in FY 2010, but more than half of patients have two visits or less. Almost all facilities now report the consistent use of key evidence-based behavioral strategies with patients. MAINTENANCE: While participation in MOVE! by patients continues to grow each year, facility self-reported program staffing and space/equipment challenges are potential barriers to long-term program maintenance. Evidence-based weight management treatment can be delivered at VHA medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics, but the REACH remains limited after several years of implementation. Intense and sustained treatment with MOVE! results in a modest positive impact on short-term weight loss outcomes, but a relatively small proportion of patients engage in this level of care. Increasing reach, improving effectiveness of care, and keeping patients engaged in treatment are areas for future policy, practice, and research.

No abstract

No abstract